Palestine: Israeli soldier and settler violence continues across West Bank

Palestine: Israeli soldier and settler violence continues across West Bank

4th Jul 2014

By Chris CarlsonInternational Middle East Media Center: Violence by Israeli soldiers and settlers against the Palestinian community continued across the region, today, beginning with 20 reported kidnappings by occupying forces in the West Bank. At least 640 Palestinians have been arrested since the beginning of Israel’s recently escalated arrest campaign.

Israeli forces, today, abducted around 20 Palestinians, including minors, in predawn raids across the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to reports by local, media and security sources.

In the Hebron district, seven people were taken by Israeli forces, including three children between the ages of 8 and 10, under a pretext of throwing stones at soldiers.

According to WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency, the children were released later in the day, after the Palestinian Liaison Office intervened.

In the nearby village of Beit Ummar, 3 more Palestinians were kidnapped and another was taken at the ‘Atzion’ checkpoint, following a beating in the head by soldiers with their rifle butts.

In Jenin and its nearby refugee camp, soldiers invaded the area, abducting one local resident, age 29, after raiding his house and wrecking his furniture.

Soldiers turned several homes them into military outposts for hours in the camp, as well. The invasions led to violent confrontations with local residents, causing several cases of suffocation as soldiers fired tear gas canisters, stun grenades and live bullets.

In Qalqilya, three Palestinian residents, including a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, were kidnapped by soldiers who both stormed the city and the nearby village of Kafr Qaddum.

Many other homes were raided in the nearby village of Azzoun, where soldiers tampered with their contents. No further arrests were reported.

In Tulkarm refugee camp, Israeli forces took with them a local resident after invading his home in the late night hours.

Additionally, one Palestinian youngster was kidnapped after soldiers stormed his house in the village of Hazma, Jerusalem Governorate.

Meanwhile, army forces abducted five Palestinians, including four ex-detainees, in both Nablus and in the nearby al-Ein refugee camp, as well as the villages of Qaryout and Madama.

Futhermore, forces again stormed Awarta village, where they raided a house; no arrests were reported.

At least 640 Palestinians have been arrested since the beginning of the Israeli arrest campaign on June 12 following the disappearance of three settlers, who were later found just near where they reportedly went missing, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The number includes 59 prisoners who were released in a 2011 exchange deal, which included 11 pre-Oslo prisoners. According to the Ministry, this now brings the number of pre-Oslo prisoners in Israeli jails up to 41.

Their statement added that 11 Palestinian MPs were also arrested, bringing up the number of imprisoned parliamentarians to 22.

Around 170 of the Palestinians, who were arrested over last two weeks, are now held under Israel’s Administrative Detention policy, in which prisoners are held without charge or trial, bringing up the number of administrative detainees to over 350, said the ministry.

The massive arrest campaign now brings up the number of Palestinian prisoners to over 5,800.

WAFA has provided its readers with a list of new detainees:

List of imprisoned Members of Parliament:

1) Marwan Barghouthi, first Member of Parliament to be abducted in 2002 and the most prominent Palestinian prisoner. He spent 19 years in Israeli jails, including the last 12 years.
2) Ahmed Sa’adat, Secretary General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He was abducted from Jericho prison in 2006 in violation of an international agreement.
3) Ahmad Atoun, (Jerusalem), held for years in administrative detention and now Israel, the occupying Power, is contemplating presenting an accusation list against him
4) Mahmoud Ramahi, elected Secretary of the Palestinian Legislative Council in 2006, administrative detention
5) Abdel-Jaber Foqaha, (Ramallah), administrative detention
6) Mohammad Jamal, (Al-Khalil), administrative detention
7) Hatem Qufaisha, (Al-Khalil), administrative detention
8) Nizar Ramadan, (Al-Khalil), administrative detention
9) Mohammad Badr, (Al-Khalil), administrative detention
10) Mohammad Abu Teir, (Jerusalem), administrative detention
11) Yasser Mansour, (Nablus), administrative detention

Attacks by Israeli settlers continued today as Arab students attenfing the College of Safed, in the Upper Galilee were subjected to threats by Jewish fellow students belonging to right-wing parties and religious groups in the college.

Arab MK, Massoud Ghanayim, reported that he had received letters from Arab students in demand of his intervention in stopping the attacks against them, explaining that they were exposed to attempts of assault following the kidnapping and killing of the three settlers, WAFA reports.

Ghanayim then sent urgent messages to the Israeli Defense Minister and the Minister of Education and Chairman of the Faculty of Safed, requesting security and protection for Arab students.

Just today, an Israeli settler got out of his car and opened fire, with a pistol, at one Ali Abu-Samra, age 30, near ar-Ram town, northeast of Hebron. Ali was injured in the foot by the shot.

The settler reportedly fled the scene, following the incident.

In Jerusalem, A 46-year-old Palestinian, from the town of Halhoul, where the 3 missing settlers were uncovered, reported that he was nearly kidnapped by three Israelis, early this morning.

Ammar Abu Asbeh, 46, told WAFA that a car carrying three Israelis pulled in front of him while he was at Shaftai Israel St in Jerusalem, asking him for his identity card.

Upon his refusal, they pushed him into car and fled the scene, but he was later able to open the door and escape. He was currently at an Israeli police station, at the time of the report

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